Design Project Manager

MetroNational; Houston (TX); On-site; USD 90,000 - 120,000; Full time

Job summary

MetroNational is seeking a Design Project Manager in Houston to lead design initiatives from concept through completion. You will coordinate internal teams, consultants, and contractors, ensuring quality, budget, and schedule adherence while delivering client-focused service.

Reporting to Design leadership, you will advance MetroNational's design standards and support real estate development and renovation initiatives.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's or Master's in Architecture preferred.
• 7+ years of architecture/design/project management experience.
• Diverse commercial project experience (hospitality, office, retail).
• Experience managing projects from concept to completion including schedule, budget, and documentation.
• Proficiency with SketchUp, AutoCAD, Revit; experience with MS Project, Procore, Bluebeam.
• Texas Architectural Licensure preferred but not required.
• Strong communication, organization, and leadership skills.

Responsibilities

• Manage design projects from concept through completion, ensuring quality, schedule, and budget.
• Oversee multiple projects with clear priorities, timelines, and documentation.
• Prepare and update project schedules, workplans, and trackers for leadership visibility.
• Coordinate with internal teams and consultants to support project execution.
• Review consultant documentation for alignment with goals and constructability.
• Provide construction administration support, site visits, and documentation review.

Skills

Project management

Communication

Leadership

Team coordination

Attention to detail

Solution oriented

Education

Bachelor's or Master's in Architecture

Tools

SketchUp

AutoCAD

Revit

Microsoft Project

Procore

Bluebeam

Job description

Description

As a Design Project Manager at MetroNational, you will deliver innovative design projects through all phases, from concept through completion. This role is responsible for managing internal and external project teams, coordinating consultants, supporting contract documentation, maintaining project schedules, and ensuring projects are delivered with attention to quality, budget, schedule, and client service. The Design Project Manager serves as a primary point of contact for assigned projects and works closely with Development, Design leadership, consultants, contractors, and internal stakeholders to support successful project execution.

As a Design Project Manager at MetroNational, you will deliver innovative design projects through all phases, from concept through completion. This role is responsible for managing internal and external project teams, coordinating consultants, supporting contract documentation, maintaining project schedules, and ensuring projects are delivered with attention to quality, budget, schedule, and client service. The Design Project Manager serves as a primary point of contact for assigned projects and works closely with Development, Design leadership, consultants, contractors, and internal stakeholders to support successful project execution. Reporting to the Director of Design, this position plays an important role in advancing MetroNational's design standards, supporting real estate development and renovation initiatives, and helping translate design vision into clear, coordinated, and executable project documentation. The role requires strong project management skills, architectural knowledge, consultant coordination experience, sound judgment, and the ability to communicate effectively across technical and non-technical audiences. The Design Project Manager will also assist with consultant procurement, design documentation review, construction administration, jurisdictional coordination, project reporting, change order tracking, and cross-functional communication. This position supports a culture of teamwork, accountability, creativity, professionalism, and continuous improvement while helping MetroNational deliver high-quality projects that support long-term value and legacy.

Core Values

At MetroNational, Integrity, Trust, Impact, and Legacy are more than Core Values. They guide how we work, lead, and show up every day. These Values shape our decisions, interactions, and expectations across the organization.

• Integrity: We do what's right, the right way, every time.
• Trust: People can count on us because we do what we say.
• Impact: We are driven to make everything we touch better.
• Legacy: Rooted in history, we build with the future in mind.

Key Responsibilities

Project Management and Delivery

• Manage assigned design projects from concept through completion, ensuring quality, schedule, and budget expectations are met.
• Manage multiple projects simultaneously while maintaining clear priorities, timelines, documentation, and communication.
• Prepare, maintain, and update project schedules, workplans, and project trackers to support design leadership visibility and weekly staffing discussions.
• Monitor overall project health, including administrative, financial, technical, schedule, consultant, and documentation-related matters.
• Identify changing project conditions, risks, or issues that require escalation to the Director of Design or Executive leadership.
• Support projects through planning, design development, construction documentation, construction administration, and project closeout.
• Help identify and mitigate design, cost, schedule, documentation, and coordination risks throughout the project lifecycle.

Design Leadership, Coordination, and Documentation

• Coordinate with internal design, development, construction, leasing, accounting, and other teams to support successful project execution.
• Coordinate project consultants through all phases of the project, including concept design, schematic design, design development, construction documentation, and construction administration.
• Communicate design intent clearly with architects, structural consultants, MEP consultants, contractors, and other project partners.
• Review design consultant documentation for alignment with project goals, design quality, code considerations, constructability, schedule, and budget.
• Oversee or support the production of high-quality drawing and documentation sets prepared by internal or external resources.
• Prepare, maintain, and distribute accurate project records, meeting notes, reports, action items, and related documentation.
• Support the development and review of contract documents, proposals, scopes of work, and consultant deliverables.

Consultant Procurement and Contract Support

• Assemble consultant teams for assigned projects by identifying required scope, gathering fee proposals, supporting consultant selection, and facilitating contracts.
• Support the procurement process for outside design consultants, including RFP preparation, proposal review, scope evaluation, deliverables review, and fee analysis.
• Coordinate with Development and Design leadership to ensure consultant scopes support project goals, ownership expectations, and execution requirements.
• Issue additional services or change orders and obtain timely approval before additional scope begins.
• Coordinate with Accounting regarding accounts receivable, consultant payables, invoicing, and project-related financial documentation.

Construction Administration and Quality Assurance

• Provide construction administration support, including site visits, shop drawing review, submittal review, consultant coordination, and issue resolution.
• Review and comment on shop drawings and submittals for design intent, quality control, and coordination with project documentation.
• Attend consultant coordination meetings, construction meetings, conference calls, and project check-ins as needed.
• Communicate critical project information, time-sensitive items, documentation gaps, and redesign needs to the Director of Design.
• Support quality assurance by reviewing drawings, details, materials, specifications, and documentation for consistency, completeness, cost effectiveness, and alignment with design intent.
• Apply working knowledge of accessibility codes, life-safety codes, building systems, construction means and methods, materials, and industry standards.

Requirements

Experience and Qualifications

• Preferred Bachelor's or Master's degree in Architecture required.
• OR 7 or more years of experience in architecture, design project management, or a related design and construction environment.
• Diverse commercial project experience required, including hospitality, office, and retail project experience.
• Experience managing projects from concept through completion, including schedule, budget, documentation, consultant coordination, and construction administration responsibilities.
• Strong understanding of design phases, including pre-design, concept design, schematic design, design development, construction documentation, construction administration, and closeout.
• Ability to coordinate and review consultant documentation, drawings, details, shop drawings, submittals, materials, and specifications.
• Thorough understanding of accessibility codes, life-safety codes, building construction systems, means and methods, materials, and industry-associated standards.
• Proficiency with SketchUp, AutoCAD, and Revit required.
• Knowledge of AI rendering tools preferred.
• Knowledge of Microsoft Project, Word, Excel, Bluebeam, and Procore required.
• Experience with Adobe Creative Suite, Rhino, Enscape, Lumion, or similar rendering and presentation tools helpful.
• Excellent verbal, written, visual, and presentation communication skills.
• Strong organizational skills with the ability to manage multiple projects, prioritize work, and meet deadlines in a fast-paced environment.
• Ability to work independently while collaborating effectively with leadership, internal teams, consultants, and external partners.
• Ability to exercise sound judgment and represent MetroNational with professionalism.
• Texas Architectural Licensure preferred, but not required.

Core Competencies

• Aligns actions and behaviors with MetroNational's Core Values of Integrity, Trust, Impact, and Legacy.
• Communicates effectively and builds positive working relationships across teams.
• Exercises sound judgment, accountability, and professionalism in decision-making and execution.
• Adapts to changing priorities while maintaining focus on quality results and continuous improvement.
• Demonstrates strong project ownership, follow-through, and attention to detail.
• Balances creativity, technical execution, financial awareness, and stakeholder service.
• Anticipates project needs, escalates issues appropriately, and supports timely decision-making.
• Collaborates with internal and external partners to deliver coordinated, high-quality design outcomes.

Physical Requirements And Work Environment

• Requires sufficient personal mobility and physical reflexes to function in a general office environment and accomplish the tasks and duties outlined above.
• The work environment characteristics are representative of those an employee encounters while performing the essential functions of this job. Reasonable accommodation may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions. The noise level in the work environment is usually quiet.
• Role may require attendance at project sites, consultant meetings, construction meetings, public review meetings, and project presentations as needed.